Fire-escape



4 f bustible.

UNITE STATES THOMAS MAODONOUGH, OF BENTON, MICHIGAN.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 295,929 dated April 1,1884:.

Application filed December 8, 1883. (No model.)

i To aZZ whom it may concern.-

the following is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

My invention relates to fire-escapes; and it consists in certain detailsof construction and combinations of parts, as hereinafter pointed outand claimed.

The object of my invention is to produce a fire-escape which shall besimple in construction,of moderate cost, and capableof being packed awayin small compass, and readily applied to a building for use.

In the drawings, in which like letters refer .to like parts, Figure 1 isa perspective view xbe readily attached to the hooks a a.

may be used instead of the wire cable; but I so asto be readily coupledtogether and easily of a window with my fire-escape in position for use.Fig. 2 is an elevation of the spools or reels on which the lift wires orcables are wound. Fig. 3 is a section of the supportingcable and anelevation of the end of one of the lift-cables and its hook. Fig. 4 is aperspective view of the collapsible basket or cage. Let A represent theupper window of a building, and a a strong hooks inserted in the wall orwindow-frame, either inside or outside the building. I

a B is a short piece of wire cable, with a loop at each end, of suchlength that the loops can A rod prefer the latter, as it can be morereadily packed away Two knots may be tied in the cable, or buttons'fixedthereon, to keep the liftwiresapart.

O O are two wires, wire cables,or ropes. I prefer small wire cables, asthese are incom- A hook, D, is attached to one end of each of thesewires or cables, which, when the device is to beused, can be instantlyfastened to the supporting-cable B. The other ends of these lift wiresor cables 0 are secured to reels or spools E E. These spools are madedetached from each other. I make one of the spools with a projectingsleeve, 6, and the other with a projecting spindle, e,- or the sleevemay be omitted and the spindle e lengthened so as 'fromthe building,

The spools, or the spindle on which they are mounted, make convenienthandles for the liftropes.

F is a collapsible cage or basket, made, preferably, in three sections,f f f, as shown, each section being of light wire or perforated sheetmetal, in preference to ordinary wicker-work, and the sections beingconnected together by light chains 99. The lower sections are slightlysmaller than the upper, so that when the basket stands on its bottom itwill collapse or telescope together, so as to occupy very little space.The cage or basket has cars h h, or a bail or handle, through which thelift-cables G 0 pass; or the basket may be hung to a pulley, such as isshown in my Patent No. 286, 456, of October 9, 1883, thelift cables orwires 0 O passing through said pulley.

It will be seen that the parts of my device when folded up occupy butlittle space. The cables G O are wound on the reels E E, the reelscoupled together, the basket collapsed, and all the parts maybe packedin a space no larger than one section of the basket.

When required for use, the supporting-cable B is hooked onto the hooks aa, the hooks D D hooked to the cable, and the reels thrown out of thewindow. Two men on the ground take the spools apart and spread thelift-cables O G at the bottom as far as may be desirable. They thus haveperfect control of the movements of the basket, and by approaching eachother can permit it to descend, or by spreading the cables apart cancause it to ascend, the inclined cables standing themselves as far fromthe base of the building as thought advisable. The basket in descendingmoves away and is not exposed to the flames from lower windows.

I am aware that the general method of raising and lowering a carrier bymeans of two inclined cables is not new, the same being shown in myformer patent above referred to;

I claim 1. A collapsible basket, F, made in sections, as described, thesections being secured together by light chains, in combination with twolift wires or cables, 0 0, adapted to pass through the handles of thebasket, and suitable mechanism to retain said cables in position for afire-escape, substantially as described.

2. A fire-escape consisting of twospools or reels connected togethersubstantially as described, so as to be readily separated, a liftcablewound on each reel, a basket or cage, through the. handle of which thecables pass, and mechanism, substantially as described, for securing thecables to a window, the whole constructed and adapted to operate incombination substantially as set forth..

3. The combination of the cable 13, supported on its hooks, asdescribed, the cables 0 G, secured to said cable B by hooks D, the

basket F, having handles through which the cables 0 G pass, and thespools E E, secured to the cables, and having mechanism, substantiallyas described, whereby said spools may be readily attached together ortaken apart, all constructed and operating substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

